Wall, Marlene, Schmidt, G. M., Janjang, P., Khokkiattiwong, S. and Richter, C. (2012) Differential impact of monsoon and large amplitude internal waves on coral reef development in the Andaman Sea. PLoS ONE, 7 (11). e50207. DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0050207.

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Abstract

The Andaman Sea and other macrotidal semi-enclosed tropical seas feature large amplitude internal waves (LAIW).
Although LAIW induce strong fluctuations i.e. of temperature, pH, and nutrients, their influence on reef development is so
far unknown. A better-known source of disturbance is the monsoon affecting corals due to turbulent mixing and
sedimentation. Because in the Andaman Sea both, LAIW and monsoon, act from the same westerly direction their relative
contribution to reef development is difficult to discern. Here, we explore the framework development in a number of
offshore island locations subjected to differential LAIW- and SW-monsoon impact to address this open question. Cumulative
negative temperature anomalies – a proxy for LAIW impact – explained a higher percentage of the variability in coral reef
framework height, than sedimentation rates which resulted mainly from the monsoon. Temperature anomalies and
sediment grain size provided the best correlation with framework height suggesting that so far neglected subsurface
processes (LAIW) play a significant role in shaping coral reefs.

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